Joffa Corfe
Encyclopedia
Jeff "Joffa" Corfe is an Australian rules football
supporter best known for being the leader of the Collingwood Football Club
cheer squad since 2001. The Herald Sun
has described "Joffa" as "probably one of the best-known sporting fans in the world".
wardrobe and had been previously worn by Bernard King
and Tommy Hanlon Jr. When "Joffa" saw Eddie McGuire
wear it on The Footy Show
, he e-mailed McGuire to ask if he could use it to celebrate Collingwood victories. Eddie had the jacket drycleaned and handed it over at a Victoria Park training session.
Before the 2003 AFL Grand Final
, "Joffa" announced he was going to discontinue use of the jacket, however after Collingwood's loss he suggested the jacket would make a comeback the next season. New jackets were introduced in 2005 and 2010. The last version featured the logo of the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria
on front and back. In 2010, "Joffa" said he would retire the gold jacket "if the Pies win the flag." "Joffa" had the jacket on by the sixth minute of the final quarter of the 2010 AFL Grand Final
replay, as Collingwood stormed to an easy win over St Kilda.
Following a turbulent ten year history, the gold jacket was officially retired by "Joffa" after the 2010 Premiership win. The jacket was auctioned on eBay
for $3,900.00, with all proceeds going to the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria
.
In 2011, a new version – known as "the People's Jacket" – was created by the Epilepsy Foundation and is worn by Collingwood supporters, usually children, after a win.
in East Burwood
in the mid-1960s for four or five years, before going back to live with his family. It was while staying there that a "lovely couple" took him to Victoria Park
where he saw his first game of football.
"Joffa" left school at 14, drifting from job to job and being homeless. He was homeless for four years, surviving street life and learning about risky behaviour and dangerous people, until he got a job at a plastics factory in Hawthorn and was able to live better.
Today he is a single working father. His daughter, Emma, was diagnosed at 13 with epilepsy
. He loves to read a good book or spend time with his three grandchildren – Simon, Jeffrey and Destiny-Pearl, who are indigenous
. Joffa has close connections with the indigenous community at Lake Tyers. He has not had a drink of alcohol
since 2000. "I never had a problem with it, but I have major problems with people who are intoxicated. They just don't make sense."
As well as being a charity fund raiser and support to disadvantaged people, he is a regular speaker at Sportmen's Nights and social and charity events.
Eddie McGuire
says he is a big fan of Joffa's. "He's as rough as hessian undies," says McGuire, "but he has a tremendous intellect and an amazing capacity for good."
Today "Joffa" Corfe is so well known in Australia that The Australian
newspaper used his name in an opinion piece on the National Broadband Network
debate.
", he said in 2010. Instead of rotting away in that notorious, though now defunct, colonial prison, "Joffa" released a film that year and stayed busy raising money for charity.
, a player with the Port Adelaide Football Club
in the Australian Football League
, completed a fund-raising bicycle ride from Rockbank
, outside of Melbourne, to AAMI Stadium
in Adelaide
. Along the way they met up with local football clubs, and gave and received encouragement. Olympic
Gold Medalist Brett Aitken
joined the riders on their final leg.
The ride raised over $1,300 for the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria
’s Parent Epilepsy Support Network.
three-way match at Etihad Stadium on 12 February 2011, "Joffa" turned out as a player for the "Collingwood" team in a charity fund-raiser against a celebrity "Carlton" team. Funds were raised to aid victims of the devastating Queensland floods
.
for many years. Joffa’s Walk for Epilepsy was run in 2006.
, Joffa the Movie Action Figure Bobblehead Dolls are currently being sold by the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria
to raise funds for epilepsy research.
, long time nemesis of Joffa's beloved Collingwood
, got itself into "dire financial trouble" in 2007, Joffa appeared in Carlton colours outside Flinders Street Station
"to show he was serious about helping the club". He described Carlton as one of the four "powerhouses of the competition" and said he would "do anything" to keep them from disappearing in a merger with another club. "They're the club I love to hate, so I'd hate to see them go."
, producer-director Chris Liontos decided to make his own film about Aussie rules football
"through the eyes of the most passionate supporter in the country." Joffa: The Movie
was released nationally on 2 September 2010. For such "an ultra-low budget movie to get a national cinema release – this has never happened (before)," Liontos said. The official website describes Joffa's life outside football as "hilariously funny" and promises "a journey that explores mateship, trust and the human spirit".
The DVD of the movie was released in December 2010 by Madman Entertainment
. In reviewing the DVD, Filmink said: "A ubiquitous, beguiling weirdo, Joffa is warm and funny playing himself..." The DVD includes a full set of commentaries, bloopers and footage of Collingwood's 2010 Grand Final win celebrations.
tried to rally voters during the 2010 Federal election by calling for a "unity ticket" of people who hated Collingwood Football Club
, Joffa Corfe reacted by saying that she had "lost his vote". When she was asked to explain her inflammatory comments, Ms Gillard said she had no choice but to "stick with her footy principles." Joffa said, “For a Prime Minister to jump on the anti-Collingwood bandwagon, I reckon it’s a bit poor... We don’t need that stuff on the national political stage." He added: "I have gone to the Greens, she’s finished."
In 2008 Corfe created controversy when photographs of him posing with two rifles in the manner of Melbourne criminal Chopper Read
were posted on a Collingwood supporters' internet forum. His actions were criticised by gun control activists but Collingwood's president, Eddie McGuire
, defended Corfe's character.
After a ban on the use of the term "white maggot" in reference to umpires was introduced at The Gabba in 2007, Corfe defended the right of supporters to use the term. He compared security at the ground to Gestapo
.
While Corfe has been the highest profile member of the Collingwood cheer squad he has not always had a comfortable relationship with other fans and club staff. During 2003 leaflets criticising his behaviour and including his home address were distributed at a Collingwood match.
In Round 18 of the 2002 AFL season
, in a match between Collingwood and their archrival Carlton
, Corfe drew attention to the fact that Carlton were going to finish last that year by waving an oversized wooden spoon
. The spoon was initially confiscated, though it was later put on display at the Collingwood club rooms.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
supporter best known for being the leader of the Collingwood Football Club
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
cheer squad since 2001. The Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
has described "Joffa" as "probably one of the best-known sporting fans in the world".
The Gold Jacket
"Joffa" Corfe rose to prominence in 2002 by donning a gold jacket and holding up a "Game Over" banner during games when he felt Collingwood had secured victory, usually in the fourth quarter. The jacket came from the Channel NineNine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
wardrobe and had been previously worn by Bernard King
Bernard King (television)
Bernard King was an Australian stage actor, celebrity chef, and television personality.-Early life:King was born into a farming family in Maleny, Queensland. He attended a Christian Brothers College in Nudgee, Queensland on a scholarship. After graduation he taught school.-Acting career:King...
and Tommy Hanlon Jr. When "Joffa" saw Eddie McGuire
Eddie McGuire
Edward Joseph "Eddie" McGuire AM is an Australian television presenter and businessman known for his long association with Australian rules football and the Channel 9 television network....
wear it on The Footy Show
The AFL Footy Show
The Footy Show is a Logie Award winning Australian sports television program, shown on the Nine Network and its affiliates.This show, which is dedicated to the AFL and Australian rules football, made its debut on 24 March 1994 at the same time as the other version which relates to the NRL and rugby...
, he e-mailed McGuire to ask if he could use it to celebrate Collingwood victories. Eddie had the jacket drycleaned and handed it over at a Victoria Park training session.
Before the 2003 AFL Grand Final
2003 AFL Grand Final
The 2003 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Brisbane Lions and the Collingwood Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 27 September 2003...
, "Joffa" announced he was going to discontinue use of the jacket, however after Collingwood's loss he suggested the jacket would make a comeback the next season. New jackets were introduced in 2005 and 2010. The last version featured the logo of the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria
Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria
The Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria is an Australian charity that was formed by a group of concerned parents in May 1964 to provide support and information to all Victorians affected by epilepsy...
on front and back. In 2010, "Joffa" said he would retire the gold jacket "if the Pies win the flag." "Joffa" had the jacket on by the sixth minute of the final quarter of the 2010 AFL Grand Final
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
replay, as Collingwood stormed to an easy win over St Kilda.
Following a turbulent ten year history, the gold jacket was officially retired by "Joffa" after the 2010 Premiership win. The jacket was auctioned on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
for $3,900.00, with all proceeds going to the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria
Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria
The Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria is an Australian charity that was formed by a group of concerned parents in May 1964 to provide support and information to all Victorians affected by epilepsy...
.
In 2011, a new version – known as "the People's Jacket" – was created by the Epilepsy Foundation and is worn by Collingwood supporters, usually children, after a win.
Early life and family
"Joffa", one of five boys and two girls, came from a poor family. His mother, June Murphy, had a mental illness, Corfe says, but it was undiagnosed. His father, Robert Corfe, drove a truck and had other "bum jobs". Corfe can't remember being hugged by either of them, ever. Their financial woes resulted in him living at the Allambie Boys HomeAllambie Reception Centre
Allambie Reception Centre was a Victorian Children's Home run by the Family Welfare Division of the Social Welfare Department and opened in 1960. Allambie was located at 70 Elgar Road, Burwood, Victoria, Australia...
in East Burwood
Burwood East, Victoria
Burwood East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located 17 km east of Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whitehorse. The suburb is bounded by Springvale Road to the east, by Middleborough Road to the west, by Eley Road and Hawthorn Road...
in the mid-1960s for four or five years, before going back to live with his family. It was while staying there that a "lovely couple" took him to Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Melbourne
Victoria Park is a sports venue in Abbotsford a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. Built for the purpose of both Australian rules football and cricket, the stadium is oval shaped....
where he saw his first game of football.
"Joffa" left school at 14, drifting from job to job and being homeless. He was homeless for four years, surviving street life and learning about risky behaviour and dangerous people, until he got a job at a plastics factory in Hawthorn and was able to live better.
Today he is a single working father. His daughter, Emma, was diagnosed at 13 with epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
. He loves to read a good book or spend time with his three grandchildren – Simon, Jeffrey and Destiny-Pearl, who are indigenous
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
. Joffa has close connections with the indigenous community at Lake Tyers. He has not had a drink of alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
since 2000. "I never had a problem with it, but I have major problems with people who are intoxicated. They just don't make sense."
As well as being a charity fund raiser and support to disadvantaged people, he is a regular speaker at Sportmen's Nights and social and charity events.
Employment
"Joffa" is employed as a welfare worker at the Anchorage Hostel, a Salvation Army refuge for homeless men. He does night shift, 11pm to 8.30am. The Hostel "houses 57 men, with an average age of about 50. Half have mental health issues or brain injuries, their life administered by the state trustee. Many are alcoholics or drug users. Some choose to be outsiders, some have had that forced upon them."Eddie McGuire
Eddie McGuire
Edward Joseph "Eddie" McGuire AM is an Australian television presenter and businessman known for his long association with Australian rules football and the Channel 9 television network....
says he is a big fan of Joffa's. "He's as rough as hessian undies," says McGuire, "but he has a tremendous intellect and an amazing capacity for good."
Today "Joffa" Corfe is so well known in Australia that The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
newspaper used his name in an opinion piece on the National Broadband Network
National Broadband Network
The National Broadband Network is a national wholesale-only, open-access data network under development in Australia. Up to one gigabit per second connections are sold to retail service providers , who then sell Internet access and other services to consumers...
debate.
Charity work
As the leader of the Cheer Squad of one of the most famous clubs in Australia, "Joffa" Corfe attracts animosity from opposition supporters. "Joffa" concedes that many people have a low opinion of him. "If the public perception was right, I'd be in PentridgePentridge
Pentridge is a village in north east Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase on the A354 road ten miles north east of Blandford Forum and twelve miles south west of Salisbury. The village has a population of 215...
", he said in 2010. Instead of rotting away in that notorious, though now defunct, colonial prison, "Joffa" released a film that year and stayed busy raising money for charity.
Ride to AAMI
From 30 July 2011 to 6 August 2011, Joffa Corfe and Joffre Pearce, father of Danyle PearceDanyle Pearce
Danyle Pearce is a professional Australian rules footballer playing with the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League.- Early life :...
, a player with the Port Adelaide Football Club
Port Adelaide Football Club
The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
, completed a fund-raising bicycle ride from Rockbank
Rockbank, Victoria
Rockbank is a township and rural locality in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 29 km west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Melton. At the 2006 Census, Rockbank had a population of 1,337....
, outside of Melbourne, to AAMI Stadium
AAMI Stadium
Football Park is an Australian rules football stadium located in West Lakes, a western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia...
in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. Along the way they met up with local football clubs, and gave and received encouragement. Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
Gold Medalist Brett Aitken
Brett Aitken
Brett Aitken is an Australian Olympic track cyclist. He has won a bronze, a silver, and a gold medal for his nation. He won gold in the Madison event at the 2000 Olympics. He retired from cycling in 2004, but returned in 2006 to ride on the Oceania Tour.-References:...
joined the riders on their final leg.
The ride raised over $1,300 for the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria
Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria
The Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria is an Australian charity that was formed by a group of concerned parents in May 1964 to provide support and information to all Victorians affected by epilepsy...
’s Parent Epilepsy Support Network.
2011 Flood Relief Charity Match
During one of the breaks in the NAB CupAustralian Football League pre-season competition
The Australian Football League pre-season competition, which is known at present as the NAB Cup, is a competition held before the beginning of the Australian Football League premiership season...
three-way match at Etihad Stadium on 12 February 2011, "Joffa" turned out as a player for the "Collingwood" team in a charity fund-raiser against a celebrity "Carlton" team. Funds were raised to aid victims of the devastating Queensland floods
2010–2011 Queensland floods
A series of floods hit Australia, beginning in December 2010, primarily in the state of Queensland including its capital city, Brisbane. The floods forced the evacuation of thousands of people from towns and cities. At least seventy towns and over 200,000 people were affected. Damage initially was...
.
RecLink football
Joffa is an active supporter of RecLink football in general and the Collingwood Knights team in particular. RecLink is a national organisation that provides access to sporting and recreational opportunities as a form of social therapy for people experiencing social and economic disadvantage.Joffa's Walk for Epilepsy
He has been an active and successful fund raiser for the Epilepsy Foundation of VictoriaEpilepsy Foundation of Victoria
The Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria is an Australian charity that was formed by a group of concerned parents in May 1964 to provide support and information to all Victorians affected by epilepsy...
for many years. Joffa’s Walk for Epilepsy was run in 2006.
Bobblehead doll
In conjunction with the release of Joffa: The MovieJoffa: The Movie
Joffa: The Movie is a 2010 independent Australian buddy movie starring Australia's best known sports fan, Joffa Corfe. The film was financed by Chris Liontos, the Director/ Producer, along with actor Shane McRae, Joffa’s buddy in the movie.- Plot :...
, Joffa the Movie Action Figure Bobblehead Dolls are currently being sold by the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria
Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria
The Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria is an Australian charity that was formed by a group of concerned parents in May 1964 to provide support and information to all Victorians affected by epilepsy...
to raise funds for epilepsy research.
Carlton Football Club
When the Carlton Football ClubCarlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
, long time nemesis of Joffa's beloved Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
, got itself into "dire financial trouble" in 2007, Joffa appeared in Carlton colours outside Flinders Street Station
Flinders Street Station
Flinders Street Station is the central railway station of the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets next to the Yarra River in the heart of the city, stretching from Swanston Street to Queen Street and covering two city...
"to show he was serious about helping the club". He described Carlton as one of the four "powerhouses of the competition" and said he would "do anything" to keep them from disappearing in a merger with another club. "They're the club I love to hate, so I'd hate to see them go."
Joffa: The Movie
Inspired by the classic Australian movie The ClubThe Club (play)
The Club is a satirical play by Australian playwright David Williamson, that follows the fortunes of a football club over the course of a season. It explores the clashes between "human loyalty versus materialistic gain". It was inspired by the backroom dealings and antics of the Victorian Football...
, producer-director Chris Liontos decided to make his own film about Aussie rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
"through the eyes of the most passionate supporter in the country." Joffa: The Movie
Joffa: The Movie
Joffa: The Movie is a 2010 independent Australian buddy movie starring Australia's best known sports fan, Joffa Corfe. The film was financed by Chris Liontos, the Director/ Producer, along with actor Shane McRae, Joffa’s buddy in the movie.- Plot :...
was released nationally on 2 September 2010. For such "an ultra-low budget movie to get a national cinema release – this has never happened (before)," Liontos said. The official website describes Joffa's life outside football as "hilariously funny" and promises "a journey that explores mateship, trust and the human spirit".
The DVD of the movie was released in December 2010 by Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that distributes international films as well as Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. The company is owned by Funtastic Limited and is one of the major entertainment companies in Australia. It employs 130 people and has an annual...
. In reviewing the DVD, Filmink said: "A ubiquitous, beguiling weirdo, Joffa is warm and funny playing himself..." The DVD includes a full set of commentaries, bloopers and footage of Collingwood's 2010 Grand Final win celebrations.
Controversy
When the Prime Minister Julia GillardJulia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
tried to rally voters during the 2010 Federal election by calling for a "unity ticket" of people who hated Collingwood Football Club
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
, Joffa Corfe reacted by saying that she had "lost his vote". When she was asked to explain her inflammatory comments, Ms Gillard said she had no choice but to "stick with her footy principles." Joffa said, “For a Prime Minister to jump on the anti-Collingwood bandwagon, I reckon it’s a bit poor... We don’t need that stuff on the national political stage." He added: "I have gone to the Greens, she’s finished."
In 2008 Corfe created controversy when photographs of him posing with two rifles in the manner of Melbourne criminal Chopper Read
Chopper Read
Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read is an Australian ex-criminal, who wrote a series of semi-autobiographical and fictional crime novels. The 2000 film Chopper was based on his life.-Early life:...
were posted on a Collingwood supporters' internet forum. His actions were criticised by gun control activists but Collingwood's president, Eddie McGuire
Eddie McGuire
Edward Joseph "Eddie" McGuire AM is an Australian television presenter and businessman known for his long association with Australian rules football and the Channel 9 television network....
, defended Corfe's character.
After a ban on the use of the term "white maggot" in reference to umpires was introduced at The Gabba in 2007, Corfe defended the right of supporters to use the term. He compared security at the ground to Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
.
While Corfe has been the highest profile member of the Collingwood cheer squad he has not always had a comfortable relationship with other fans and club staff. During 2003 leaflets criticising his behaviour and including his home address were distributed at a Collingwood match.
In Round 18 of the 2002 AFL season
2002 AFL season
-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Round 5 :-Ladder:All teams played 22 games during the home and away season, for a total of 176...
, in a match between Collingwood and their archrival Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
, Corfe drew attention to the fact that Carlton were going to finish last that year by waving an oversized wooden spoon
Wooden spoon (award)
A wooden spoon is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but sometimes also to runners-up. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous events...
. The spoon was initially confiscated, though it was later put on display at the Collingwood club rooms.
External links
- Joffa's Front Page
- Joffa: The Movie Official website
- Jeff Corfe reveals the family man behind the gold jacket Herald Sun video interview, 20 August 2010
- Emma Corfe: People living with epilepsy Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria